"Germany on a Budget from an Insider" Top 5 Page for this destination Germany by Weissdorn

Germany Travel Guide: 56,012 reviews and 163,715 photos

The Rhine Valley above the town of Bacharach

Does the World Cost Too Much for You Too?

Are you like me? Always searching to travel the world, see the sights, but you don't necessarily want to or need to stay in palace accommodations or travel in the first class?
If you want to travel to Germany, see some great sites, avoid the tourist traps, and find affordable, low budget travel around Germany, and overnight accommodations, you came to the right place!.
Considering that 90% of the visitors and members are just like me, who are looking for a place that doesn't cost a lot, I thought it would be a pretty good idea to write some of the things I know here.
Don't worry that the natives might think you're chinchy! You are in good company, because they, like you shop for bargins too. Even the new advertising slogan "Geiz ist geil!" (Tightwadedness is groovey!)
It will take a little while to re-construct my page, but look for the savings tips in red.

Shortcuts

My list of Things to Do Tips is getting a little too long. So I decided that I could make you a shortcut list, so you could directly click to the things that interest you.

Places
The Rhine Valley

Cities & Towns
Bremen: City Hall and the Famous Roland
The Hansa Town of Stralsund
The Baltic Seaside Town of Wismar
The Old Town of Quedlinburg
Classical Weimar
Lübeck: Queen of the Hanseatic League
The Old Town in Bamberg
Rammelsberg and Goslar
The Ancient Roman City of Trier
Dresden: The Jewel of Saxony

Castles & Palaces
Bückeburg: Crown of the Weser Renaissance
Büdingen Castle
The Residential Palace in Würzburg
The Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam
Augustusburg and Falkenlust
Wartburg Castle

Churches & Monasteries
The Cathedral in Speyer
Maulbronn Abbey
The Cathedral of Cologne
The Cathedral in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle)
Pilgrimage Chapel "Die Wies"
Cathedral of Hildesheim
Lorsch Abbey and the Altenmünster

Gardens & Parks
The Classical Gardens in Dessau
The Island of Reichenau

Musuems
The Völklinger Steel Mill
Glückauf! Zeche Zollverein in Essen
Messel Fossil Pits
Stilt Houses on Lake Constance
Bauhaus Workshops in Dessau and Weimar
Museum Island in Berlin
Martin Luther's Memorial - Eisleben & Wittenberg

Transportation and Accommodations

Train travel is the most economic form of travel

Please bear with me!
Transportation
The Bahn AG continues to change their marketing concepts. Old deals disappear and newer ones take their place. They also tend to complicate matters, and sometimes they make it difficult to keep up with them, so please bear with me if the info on my travel tips is a little out of date. Soon, I will have a complete shortcut list below, so that you can go directly to the info you want.

Shortcuts

Accommodations
With a quarter million hotel accommodations in Germany, it would be senseless to list them here. Sometimes I visit towns and don't stay there, but poke my head in the hotel, and ask them if I can tell them about their hotel here at VT. You would be surprised how friendly the hosts are. Anyway, that's the reason why I don't have specific info on particular hotels. It's better to search for the city you want to go to, and check out the individual VT pages on the towns. Below I've listed my favorite links for finding inexpensive accommodations.

Accommodation Links

Germany is Wunderbar Everywhere

Gluecksburg Palace near Flensburg

No, this isn't one of Ludwig II's castles in Bavaria. Glücksburg is on the border to Denmark in Schleswig-Holstein. I still get complaints about listing Neuschwanstein as a tourist trap. I did it on purpose!

There is more of Germany to see than just Bavaria. It's like going to the Netherlands, and just visiting Holland. Speaking of that, maybe you should take an example of the Dutch. No matter how obscure a corner of Germany is, you can bet that Dutch tourists have not only been there; they have turned it into one of their favorite vacation places to go.

So when you're planning your first or next trip to Germany, remember there is far more to see than the Heidelberg-Rothenburg-Füssen-Munich-Dinkelsbühl-Tour. I like to encourge people to get off the beaten track, and explore a city that hasn't been done a 1,000 times already. You may not only save money in the long run, you could discover something your friends have never seen back home!

Click here for a list of less expensive areas to visit in Germany!

Pros and Cons

Pros:A Multitude of Diversity, History and Culture
Cons:Rather Over-populated
In a nutshell:The Middle Cut of European Life

Last visit to Germany: Jan 2008
Intro Updated Jan 5, 2008
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Reviews (104)

Bueckeburg Palace - more stunning inside than out - Germany

Bueckeburg - The Magic Kingdom of... Things to Do (33)

In the state of Lower Saxony, not far from the town of Minden, there is a tiny little kingdom, it seems time and the... more travel advice

Canale Grande on the Elbe & view of Frauenkirche - Germany

Dresden: The Jewel of Saxony Things to Do (33)

The Pillnitz and Uebigau castles corner it, and in between lies the cream of architecture spanning three centuries: the... more travel advice

Bremen's City Hall in Weser Renaissance Style - Germany

Bremen: City Hall and the Famous Roland Things to Do (33)

The have the same age, and people claim that both have part of the city for the last 600 years: The City Hall and the... more travel advice

The Rhine Valley Things to Do (33)

Few valleys are as impressive in Germany as the Rhine (Rhein) Valley, and although long discovered by the European as... more travel advice

Hotels (7)
See All I Need A Place to Crash - But Not the...
Tourist Traps (4)
See All Oktoberfest in Munich
Warnings and Dangers (4)
See All Beware of Rumanian Begger Children
Local Customs (9)
See All Who said you can't drink the water?
Sports & Outdoors (4)
See All Fishing in Germany - Getting a License
Shopping (6)
See All Computer & Electronic Stores

Transportation (19)
See All Getting Around in the Greater Stuttgart...
Off The Beaten Path (1)
Lake Müritz
What to Pack (1)
Packing for Germany
Favorites (10)
See All Camping in Germany
Restaurants (6)
See All Like Ice in the Sunshine, I'm Melting...
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Comments (58)

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Elisabcn Jan 2, 2010 at 12:58 PM

I learnt a lot of interesting things about Germany during my first visit to your page. For sure I'll come back for more. Eheh the story about the wood cutter's coat of arms sounds familiar to me ;-))
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pinkiechain Sep 17, 2009 at 9:47 AM

If you don't mind I add another tip to your vast collection of information for travellers in Germany: Get a prepaid cell phone plan in Germany and save money staying in touch with friends and family. Read more at www.phone-guide-germany.com
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hindu1936 Jun 20, 2009 at 6:35 AM

Great! We are doing budget everywhere and your tips and photos make that a lot easier. thank you.
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Propermark Oct 16, 2008 at 8:17 AM

Great tips here! I must read more later :-) Danke. I'm considering Germany for an internship.. we'll see ;)
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Turtleshell Oct 3, 2008 at 4:29 PM

Nice tips, really. One correction, though: Age limit for the zero tolerance rule (alcohol and driving) is 21. Same rule applies, if you are 21 or older but have a probationary driving license.
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brummielaura Aug 10, 2008 at 9:55 AM

What an amazing page! I had to laugh reading your tip on tap water... it's so true!
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Carmela71 Feb 11, 2008 at 2:00 PM

Thanks for all the information and links, a brilliant Germany page!
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Jedwin Feb 9, 2008 at 3:39 PM

The magic kingdom of Schaumburg-Lippe sounds fasinating. I'm adding it to my must see list. However, the location is 70 km "west" of Hannover not "east".
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Sage49 Feb 8, 2008 at 7:40 AM

Boy, it's so beautiful, esp. I love the view from your living room. I guess I could say you are absolutely lucky to be where you are at.
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LC_Teh Dec 12, 2007 at 12:20 AM

Thanks for this write up about the tap water. I drank a lot of it while I was in Frankfurt 3 weeks ago because of my sorethroat. My friends were alarmed when they heard I drank the tap water. I was sure I wasn't risking my health.